1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a bind processing method of binding sheets of paper including punch holes, with a binder, a bind processing device, and a binder cartridge. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bind processing method in which binding is automated, a bind processing device and a binder cartridge.
2. Description of Related Art
Concerning the binder for binding sheets of paper or plastics on which punch holes are formed, a binder formed out of resin by means of integral molding is conventionally known. The binder includes substantially circular rings arranged in parallel with each other at regular intervals on a long slender strip. The length of the binder is the same as the longitudinal size of a sheet of paper of regular size. One end of each ring of this binder is connected to the strip and the forward end of each ring is a free end. These plurality of rings are opened and the forward end portions of the rings are inserted into the punch holes of the sheets of paper. When the operator's fingers are separated from the rings, the rings are closed by an elastic restoring force so that the sheets of paper can be bound. However, this method is disadvantageous in that it takes much labor to attach the binder to the sheets of paper.
As an example of the proposition by which this type binder can be simply attached, a binder for binding sheets of paper is disclosed in JP-A-2001-018571. The paper binding device disclosed in this proposition is composed as follows. There is provided a sliding mechanism in which a movable plate having pawls, the shapes of which are reverse-L-shaped, is slid in the lateral and the backward direction. When a binder is set in the main body and the movable plate is slid in an L-shape, the pawls of the movable plate are engaged with the rings of the binder in the lateral direction. Further, the pawls of the movable plate are retreated so that the rings of the binder can be pulled and opened. By this operation, the binder can be simply attached to sheets of loose leaf paper.
Concerning the proposition relating to the structure of the ring type binder itself, JP-A-2000-289376 discloses the following binder. On both sides of a spine portion, the length of which is the same as the longitudinal size of a sheet of paper of regular size, ½ ring portions are arranged in parallel with each other. Protruding portions are provided at the forward end portions of the ½ ring portions in one row, which is opposed to the other row with respect to the spine portion, and recessing portions are provided at the forward end portions of the ½ ring portions in the other row. The protruding portions and recessing portions form an engaging. When the ½ ring portions, which compose a pair, are closed and engaged with each other, the rings are closed. In this way, the attaching property of the binder can be improved.
It takes much time to attach the conventional ring type binder. Although the attaching property of the two-division type binder described in JP-A-2000-289376 has been improved, the attaching must be executed by a hand, as before. JP-A-2001-018571 proposes a binding device for binding sheets of paper in which the attaching work of the binder is made easy. However, according to this binding device for binding sheets of paper, the binders are set in the binding device one by one. Therefore, it takes labor to supply and operate the binder. Accordingly, when a large amount of documents are processed, it takes a long time. For the above reasons, in order to enhance the processing efficiency of binding, a bind processing method capable of continuously executing the bind processing is demanded.